With Gov. George W. Bush of Texas being the Republican presidential frontrunner, his record has come under heightened press scrutiny. This is natural since Bush's record as governor could indicate the types of policies he might pursue as President.
Add to this that Vice President Al Gore is the Democratic presidential frontrunner and it is unsurprising that Bush's environmental record is under particularly close scrutiny. After all, Gore is closely associated with environmental causes. He has written a book warning of an impending environmental crisis, was chosen as President Clinton's running mate largely to shore up the environmental vote in 1992, and environmental groups regularly tout his leadership on environmental issues.
Gore and the Sierra Club have blasted Gov. Bush's environmental record. They argue that Gov. Bush has done nothing to clean up Texas, which ranks No. 1 on the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Unfortunately, the press has expended little effort to investigate these claims. In reality, Bush has reason to be proud of his environmental record.
That Texas ranks No. 1 on the TRI is not surprising since it has the country's second highest population, the second-largest land area--which contributes' to its having the highest energy use and some of the longest commute times nationally--and the third highest state Gross Domestic Product.
However, Bush's environmental record should be judged on the basis of improvements when compared to the environmental problems he inherited from previous administrations and against the records of other states and the nation.
When Bush became governor, he inherited a state with dirty air, impending water shortages and no environmental education program. Bush helped change all of this.
Texas utilities emit the fourth-highest total of sulfur dioxide (S02) and the second-highest total of nitrogen oxides (NOx) when compared to utilities in other states. But this tells only part of the story.
When compared to the rest of the nation's utilities, Texas plants have some of the best combustion controls, the most scrubbers and utilize primarily low sulfur coal. Accordingly, per unit of energy used, Texas has the 17th lowest state emission rate for S02 and the 14th-lowest emission rate for NOx.
By comparison, energy use in Vice President Al Gore's home state of Tennessee is inefficient and dirty. Per unit of energy, Tennessee has the fifth-highest emission rate in the nation for S02 and the second-highest emission rate for NOx.
In addition, Texas compares favorably to the rest of the nation regarding the reduction of EPA-monitored criteria pollutants. From 1995-1997 sulfur dioxide emissions in Texas fell by 17.1 % compared to an increase of 11.2% nationally; nitrogen oxide emissions fell 23.6% in Texas while rising 8.2% nationally; emissions of volatile organic compounds fell by 43.2% in Texas but only 16% nationally; and carbon monoxide emissions fell 12% in Texas but only 5.1 % nationally. Only in the emission of particulate matter did Texas fail to exceed national averages for emission reductions-Texas emissions fell 11.9% compared to a 21.2% average national decline.
And, in order to reduce air pollution still further, Gov. Bush recently signed legislation making Texas the first state in the nation to require that older power plants reduce emissions -- these plants had been "grandfathered in" or exempted from emission restrictions under the 1970 Clean Air Act.
Among Gov. Bush's other environmental accomplishments, he signed legislation that benefits consumers by deregulating the electric industry while requiring the second-highest use of "clean" energy (i.e., renewable energy and natural gas) in the country. In addition, he signed a bill that creates Texas's first-ever environmental education program.
And, with Texas's future water supply in doubt due to regular droughts and population growth, Bush signed a bill establishing a comprehensive plan to coordinate the competing uses of the state's limited water supply.
Texas, like every state, has its share of environmental problems. In response, Gov. Bush has pioneered an approach that treats property owners and the private sector as allies in the effort to solve environmental problems. Under Gov. Bush's leadership, the environment has improved and the economy has grown at a faster rate in Texas than in the rest of the nation. While many politicians talk the talk about growing the economy while protecting the environment, Gov. Bush walks the walk.